Fitzgerald on retirement: I don’t talk about future

Larry Fitzgerald looks like he could play for another five years or more, at least based on Sunday’s performance against the Patriots. So what do we make of his comments following the game on his future?

Fitzgerald dismissed a Sunday report from NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport that the receiver expects 2016 will be his final season with a non-answer, making the classic claim involving plans for his next meal to back up his statement without actually denying the report.

“I don’t talk about the future,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t even know what I am having for dinner tonight, let alone what I am doing next year. I signed another year for a reason. I believe in what we’re doing here.”

Fitzgerald deserved the finest steak after his performance Sunday night in a 23-21 loss to the Patriots, catching eight passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns. It was another vintage Fitzgerald performance, who has beaten Father Time to age 33 and will be a surefire Hall of Famer upon becoming eligible.

People care about Fitzgerald’s future because he’s still more than effective, and after coming tantalizingly close to a ring in Super Bowl XLIII, has his best chance since then to return to the game’s biggest stage. Fitzgerald signed an extension with the Cardinals through 2017 in the offseason, and even though his father claims he hasn’t talked about the end of his career, Rapoport reported Fitzgerald signed the extension largely to silence questions about his future.

We likely won’t know when Fitzgerald’s time to ride off into the sunset will arrive until it happens before our eyes, even if we’re inclined to see it coming down the pike. But we can enjoy more of his play for at least this season.